All activities / Wildlife Safaris / Noumea
Wildlife Safaris in Noumea
The capital of New Caledonia, on the south coast of Grande Terre, and the territory's port, market and cultural hub on the shore of the world's largest lagoon. Its bays at Anse Vata and the Baie des Citrons front the UNESCO-listed barrier reef, and the Renzo Piano Tjibaou Cultural Centre on the Tina peninsula anchors Kanak culture in the city.
Why here
Each austral winter humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae, migrate up from Antarctica to breed and calve in the sheltered warm water of New Caledonia's great southern lagoon, and Noumea is the gateway to see them. From mid-July to mid-September, small boats leave the Noumea marinas at first light for the calm inner lagoon between the Amedee, Mato and Dumbea passes, where mothers rest with newborn calves, males sing below the surface and adults breach and slap their tails in courtship. New Caledonia is a declared whale sanctuary and its operators sign a strict observation charter, keeping their distance and cutting engines so the animals set the pace. Because the barrier reef holds the swell out, sightings happen on flat water rather than open ocean, and the same lagoon shelters dugongs grazing the seagrass, spinner dolphins, turtles and sea eagles. It is one of the Pacific's most reliable and best-managed humpback grounds.
Best months
The humpback season runs from mid-July to mid-September, with peak numbers, and the most mother-and-calf pairs, in August. Note that voluntary swimming with whales is prohibited by law in New Caledonia, so this is boat-based observation only; operators follow a cetacean observation charter that sets minimum approach distances and boat numbers around each whale. Trips leave early to catch the calmest lagoon conditions and can be affected by wind, so build in a spare day. Winter days are mild and the sheltered lagoon stays flat behind the reef.
Getting there & around
Whale-watching boats depart from the Noumea marinas, mainly Port Moselle beside the morning market and the nearby Port Brunelet, a short drive from downtown and from La Tontouta international airport. Full-day trips leave early morning for the great southern lagoon and return in the afternoon, with a naturalist or skipper on board; some run from Prony to the south. The mid-July to mid-September window is short and popular, so book well ahead, and choose an operator that signs the territory's observation charter.
Skill levels: beginner
Schools & guides (2)
Caledonie Charter
ClubCaledonie Charter is a New Caledonian non-profit association, created in 2010, that brings together around a dozen local sailing-catamaran and motor-boat operators to run humpback whale-watching days in the great southern lagoon. Departing Noumea and Prony from mid-July to mid-September, its member skippers follow a shared code of conduct that caps the number of observation boats around each whale. Booking is through the association, which coordinates the fleet across the season.
Dal'Ocean
OutfitterDal'Ocean is a family charter company run by Frederic Dallo from Port Brunelet in Noumea, operating a sailing catamaran and a fast rigid boat across the South Lagoon. From mid-July to mid-September it runs humpback whale-watching days in the great southern lagoon, between the Amedee, Mato and Dumbea passes, as a signatory of the territory's cetacean observation charter and in cooperation with the Caledonie Charter fleet. Off season it runs island day trips and taxi-boat transfers to Amedee.